OKC Thunder Season Review: Patrick Patterson displayed professionalism and went to the movies
By Alex Mcewen
Only Place to Go is up!
Patterson had a difficult second season in Oklahoma City. His play never translated well within the Thunder’s system or lack thereof. Pat’s poor statistics seem to be more of an indictment on head coach Billy Donovan, rather than Patterson himself. Patterson was a productive player before arriving in Oklahoma City. If he continues playing after his Thunder tenure, he will likely become a productive player once again.
One of the many problems the Thunder possess, is the players are allotted too much freedom and not enough direction; Dennis Schroder, detailed such during his exit interview. It’s not a winning system, it works okay for All-Star’s and Superstars, but everyone especially role players need to be guided and put in the best position to succeed.
Pat is just one of many players to fall victim to this problem in Oklahoma City, he is not the first and if nothing changes he will not be the last. With that, let’s review Pat’s 2018-19 stats and his best moments:
Regular Season Stats:
| Season | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 63 | 13.7 | 3.5 | .374 | 2.2 | .336 | .439 | .479 | .633 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 3.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/1/2019.
Advanced Stats:
| Season | G | MP | PER | TS% | 3PAr | ORB% | DRB% | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | WS | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 63 | 861 | 8.1 | .493 | .626 | 4.9 | 13.0 | 8.8 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 8.7 | 12.0 | 1.1 | -3.7 | -0.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/1/2019.
Playoff Stats:
N/A – Patterson did not play in the postseason due to coaches decision.
Best Moments On the Hardwood
Although Patterson’s playing time became sparse after the addition of Morris, he still provided some pivotal performances throughout the season, such as January 22, versus the Portland Trail Blazers. In the late January match, Pat only played fifteen minutes and put up two shots. However, they were very big shots, Pat’s six points helped swing momentum and aid the Thunder in their nine-point victory over the Blazers.
Another memorable moment was when Pat scored his season-high 17-points in Oklahoma City’s first win of the 2018-19 campaign. In his second game coming off the bench, Pat looked much more comfortable in his role, as he shot 6 for10 or 60.0 percent from the floor, including 2 for 5 or 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Last, but not the least; after OKC’s double-overtime thriller in San Antonio, where Patterson played 11-minutes, scoring three points on 1-3 accuracy. Pat bounced back in the home-in-home set, scoring 13-points on 5 for 7 or 71.4 percent accuracy, and 3-3 100 percent from three, the game marked the fourth and final instance where Pat scored in double-digits.